At least I’ll have a comfy shirt to steal, if I want one later.
She dressed and was standing at the window, admiring the landmarks, when Jack appeared from the bathroom. He’d dressed in there, a detail not lost on Charlotte. He seemed to be hiding his bare chest from her.
Interesting.
“At least we’re a good match in the shower.” Her eyes widened and he gave an awkward laugh as she smirked at him. “I meant we shower at different times, so we’re well matched for one bathroom.” He rolled his eyes at himself and crossed to the door at the sound of a quiet tap. Room service had arrived.
“How?” Charlotte asked. “We didn’t even order, yet.”
“I ordered last night. I wanted to get an early start this morning, before the crowds arrived.”
She watched, as the various plates were uncovered, revealing all her favourite breakfast foods. Charlotte glanced at Jack, but he was busy helping himself to eggs and bacon and avoiding her eyes. She loaded up with yoghurt and fresh berries and took a seat opposite him at the table. “Why do we want to avoid the crowds? Isn’t that part of the magic of Paris?”
“Maybe when you’re not famous. When you’re me, it’s not really a plus.”
“Do you ever just go out like a normal person? Relax and decide to enjoy a place, even though you’ll be recognised?”
“No. Why?”
“Honestly? I understand what you’re saying, but it makes you sound like a pompous asshole.” She said conversationally as she chewed on a fat strawberry.
“It does?” Jack’s eyebrows rose and he sighed as he finally pulled his eyes away from the newspaper he was reading. “What do you suggest? Letting strangers maul me at every turn? Days of our vacation spent with fans, signing autographs, and asking them about their mothers? Newspaper write-ups about every burger that passes my lips? Perhaps we’ll be invited home to someone’s house for tea?” His sarcastic tone had her frowning into her yoghurt.
“Maybe we will. Imagine how thrilled that person would be? They’d tell all their friends that they met you and that you were lovely.” She paused and rolled her eyes, “Well, they’ll say I’m lovely; they’ll tell their friends that you were reserved and a bit rude, and that they expected you’d be much nicer.” She crinkled her eyes at him, trying to get him to lighten up. “When you tour here months from now, they and their friends will do anything to get tickets to your concert. Hell, I’ll remember their address and we’ll send them tickets.”
“You imagine us as a couple of the people? That kind of thing?”
“It’s how I imagined living my life, once I had a degree of fame. I want to be able to walk down to the local deli and buy bread and cheese for a picnic. I won’t be hiding away in a castle, only ever rubbing shoulders with my Hollywood friends. I don’t think that’s good for anyone, long-term.”
He kept watching her as he folded the newspaper and put it aside. Charlotte noticed it was a French paper, printed in French. Jack was silent for a moment before he answered her, “Once I let you make this change, I can never go back.”
“Bullshit. If you hate it—if it makes you miserable—then you just return to hiding out.”
“I’m not hiding out.”
“You are a little bit, even if you won’t admit it.” She jumped up from the table and walked to the window before turning to him and spreading her arms wide as her voice rose. “You have to live, Jack. You have this amazing opportunity with money to spend on exploring, seeing new places, and meeting new people, yet you hide in an expensive hotel and only venture out when everyone else is asleep.” He didn’t speak, but just sat there, staring at her. He did that a lot when she announced what she thought of his life. “Anyway, you can blame me, once you go into hiding. The press will say what a breath of fresh air I was in your life, while we lasted.” She smiled and fanned herself, as though she knew how awesome she was. That finally got a smile out of him.
“Alright. If you’re so smart, let’s try it your way while we’re in Paris. Let’s be normal, Charlotte.” He joined her in the eye-rolling. “We’ll eat and visit and explore, and it will be awful as people trail behind us, taking our pictures and selling them to the papers.”
“I’ll take charge on one condition: you can’t read the paper or check up on us on the internet all week.”
“You’re on.”
“Think of the time you’ll save. I see you checking each morning anytime we’ve been out the previous day.”
He snorted. “It’s probably best for you to work out why as early as possible. Obviously, the couple of incidents since we’ve started playing this game haven’t been enough to convince you, Princess. This experiment will, though.”
“Oh, we’re back to ‘Princess,’ are we? Of the two of us, you’re far more of a princess than me.”
“So you seem to think. I’ll expect an apology in writing at the end of the week.”
“You might be surprised at how much fun you have, meeting ordinary people for more than two seconds at a time.”
“I doubt that. I’m prepared to prove you wrong, though. Just so we’re clear about how this works, don’t ask me to call security to come save us, and don’t expect me to rescue you from a crowd grabbing you. Don’t expect anything, except a normal couple doing normal stuff.”
Charlotte stood on one leg and bit her lip, doing her best to appear delicate and submissive. “You wouldn’t rescue me from a crowd?”
He squinted, trying to decide what she was up to. “No. That’s the deal.”
“What if they were pulling my hair?"
“No.”
“What if they stole my bag?"
“You’re on your own.”
“What if they were tearing off my clothes?”
“Nope.”
“A loving fiancé would rescue his wife-to-be, if her clothes were being torn off by an angry mob,” she pointed out. “The press would expect it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
***
As they left the hotel, Jack moved toward the line of waiting cars, but Charlotte tugged his hand in the opposite direction. He looked confused, and she stood on her tip-toes to whisper into his ear, “We’re walking.”
“We are? How fun.” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her, but she chose to ignore it. It would take some time to bring him around to her way of thinking. He just needed some practice being normal. He wore a baseball cap and dark glasses, and she examined him from the side as they walked. It was impossible not to recognise him as Jack Fawkner. She hoped she didn’t have to eat her words at the end of the week and admit she was wrong about him going out in public.
Charlotte kept hold of his hand as they walked along the paved streets. After a few minutes, they came to a park; Jack guided her to a bridge over the river. Right there, in front of them, was the Eiffel Tower. She stared at the top as Jack stood behind her. “I imagine you want to line up and buy a ticket to go to the top?”
“Of course! Don’t you?”
“Not the lining up part, but come on, let’s be normal.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, so they could find the ticket booth.
“Promise me you’ll just act normal if someone recognises you. No sighing.”
“I will. Haven’t I all the other times? I’ll just sigh on the inside.”
“On the inside is fine—just don’t make me feel like I have to make excuses for you. I’m not about to start that crap.”
He raised three fingers as they lined up behind a small family. “Scout’s honour.” He grinned at her and turned his attention to the front as he pulled out his phone. “Come on, time for a selfie.”
“What’s the point? You don’t even share them with anyone.”
“Well, I might be talked into sharing them.”
“Boring. Take one with both of our phones and I’ll post mine.”
As they took their shots, the woman in front of them turned around. “Excuse me. Are you Charlotte Shipton?”
Her mouth dropped open in shock, but she quickly gathered herself. “I am.”
“We’re from Melbourne, and we saw you in a stage show last year. You were amazing—my daughter wants to be just like you.” Her daughter had turned around, by now, and was grinning at Charlotte.
“Oh, that’s so nice. Thank you. Could I get a photo with you guys?”
The girl squealed and snuggled up to Charlotte for the photo as Jack stepped to the side. “Thank you so much,” she gushed. “My friends will never believe it.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Do you think we’ll go up in the lift together?”
“Perhaps we will,” Charlotte smiled at the girl and pulled her pigtails. “How about, if we get to the top together, we take another picture?” She was rewarded with an enormous smile and the girl’s mother mouthing the words “thank you” above her daughter’s head. They turned back to the front as the line slowly inched forward, and Jack looked at her thoughtfully.
“How was that?”
“What?”
“Being recognised so far from home?”
“Um… okay, I guess.”
He chuckled, took her hand, and gave it a little squeeze. “You’re amazing. I can’t believe it doesn’t faze you at all.”
***
The rest of the day passed without incident. They bought their tickets and travelled to the top of the tower, where Charlotte had her photo taken with her young fan. On the way down, a woman recognised Jack and asked for an autograph, which he happily provided. They left the plaza with a plan to return closer to dark, so they would be there when the lights came on.
The Arc de Triomphe was a fair walk, and the underground access tunnel was packed with people wanting to visit. Hardly anyone looked sideways at them holding hands, like any other couple in love in Paris. They took selfies and headed for the Champs Elysees, where Charlotte laughed at the lines of people waiting for entry to the exclusive stores.
“All that waiting just to shop?”
“I’ve noticed you’re not much of a shopper—even when I offered you my credit card.”
“I don’t love shopping, unless I have a specific need. I definitely don’t browse, looking for junk to spend money on, and I definitely wouldn’t go shopping with your money.”
Jack nodded and pulled her toward Concorde Square for the, by now, obligatory selfie. “Can we get lunch after this? We’ve walked so far that I might think you’re trying to kill me to get your hands on that payment we wrote into the contract.”
“Ha! I told you: if I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.” Charlotte pushed him toward a string of cafés in the distance. “You’re much more fun to me alive.” They crossed the street and found a seat before placing an order with the waiter.
As they sat in the sunshine, a crowd formed outside the adjoining café. First, three girls stood twittering together, and they were joined by another couple, and then a few more. Charlotte could see Jack’s jaw tightening, so she put her hand over his on the table. “Ignore them, Jack. If they come over, great, but otherwise, just pretend they’re not there. Sit and enjoy the sunshine.”
“That’s easier said than done. I can’t ignore them.”
“Fine,” she asked, and before he could stop her, she’d taken off her sunglasses and looked directly at the group of girls. “Ladies?” With that, they surged forward to the table and all spoke at once.
“I can’t believe it’s really you, Mr. Fawkner…”
“Could we please get a photo?”
“An autograph?”
“For my mother, really!”
“Five minutes, girls, but that’s it.” Charlotte announced, amused to note one of the girls looking her up and down, wondering who she was to be deciding how long Jack could give them. After the time was up, Charlotte hurried them along and they set off up the street, chattering at each other again.
“Okay, Jack?”
“All okay, Char.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Alrighty. Are you ready for day two of being a normal couple?” Charlotte was dressed and ready to go, when Jack stepped from the bathroom. She’d pressured him to skip breakfast so they could find some French pastries on the street.
“I am. Yesterday was a pleasant surprise.”
“I had a great day, and the Tower was beautiful. I had no idea there were lights that came on at night—I’ll never forget it.”
“Where are you dragging me today?”
“Today, we hit the Louvre. The Mona Lisa awaits.”
“You know, I’ve been to Paris several times, and I’ve never seen the Mona Lisa?”
“Well, you’re in luck, because Tour Guide Charlotte is here. I bet you’d normally get a private tour if you were going to the Louvre?”
“I would, actually. I don’t like the way you say that, though, as if it’s a crime to do some things in private.”
She bit her lip as she watched him tie his shoes. “It’s not that you shouldn’t be able to do that—it’s that you appear to take that road on every occasion.” She chose her words carefully, not wanting to offend him, since they were having such a nice holiday. “I mean, it’s fair enough if you’re in Paris for one day with the band and can get an exclusive showing of a place you want to see. I don’t think that should be the only way you ever see the world, though. It should be the exception for emergencies or special occasions.” She stepped toward him and smoothed his collar at the back. “You run the risk of being out of touch with real people, otherwise. That can’t be a benefit for your acting or music career, since both of those need to touch people here.” She tapped his chest over his heart.
He surprised her by grabbing her hand. “How are you so normal? Yesterday showed that you’re more famous in Australia than I realised.”
She snorted and pushed his chest. “I have some degree of fame, I guess. My sister is quite famous in Australia, but she has no desire to come to Hollywood. She’s older and very well-known, so I decided to step out of her shadow—I’d hate to only get roles because of her.” Charlotte pulled her hand away and collected her bag before turning to him. “Australia is not like other places. I told you: you need to come home with me, sometime. You’ll be so relaxed that you might not want to ever come to Vegas.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, actually.” He said as he opened their door and ushered her toward the elevators. “Would you like to visit home sometime soon?”
She stopped and turned to him with enormous eyes. “You mean it?”
Jack laughed. “Of course I mean it. My treat,” she rolled her eyes at his mention of money. “How would you like to go as soon as your movie’s finished shooting? That’s just a few weeks away; I can spare two weeks out of rehearsals. Once we get started, I’ll be on the road and there won’t be any time to come with you.” The elevator arrived and they stepped in. “Unless you want to go by yourself.”
As they reached the ground floor and the doors opened, Charlotte took his hand and tugged him toward the street. “Why the hell would I want to go by myself, instead of with you? I’m looking forward to giving my sister a heart attack and making you drink common tap water!”
***
They spent another pleasant day among the common people, as Charlotte had taken to calling the public to rile Jack up. After the Louvre, they strolled down the Tuileries and ate ice cream as they swatted away the bees around their cones. Only one person stopped them and asked for an autograph from Jack.
As the afternoon sun crept lower in the sky, they walked along the Seine and watched enormous boats cruise up and down it. Artists sold their goods on the street, and there were so many vendors selling old records and rare books that Jack had to eventually drag Charlotte away and forbid her from stopping at another stand. She got her revenge by insisting they take selfies along the river, and she made him buy her another pastry for the walk back to the hotel. She put one of their selfies on Facebook just to annoy him.
“I hope y
our privacy settings are locked down.”
“Nope. I don’t put anything on Facebook I wouldn’t be happy for people to see.”
“You mean anyone can read your wall and see your details?”
“Yep. That’s where I plan to post my sex tape, when I release it.” She nudged him as they walked along and watched as his face turned serious.
“No sex tape jokes,” he bit out.
“What’s with you and the legendary sex tape, anyway? Why does it annoy you so much when I mention it?”
Jack sighed. “I have no secrets with you, do I? Always asking questions. Are you sure you’re not actually a reporter?”
She laughed, “If I was a reporter, you’d know, because I’d have published all your dirty secrets, by now. I’m sure the common people would be pretty interested to know what type of coffee machine you have at home.” Charlotte nudged him again. “Come on, fess up. Why all the fuss?”
“My mother made a sex tape back in the nineties. It got out and occasionally I see a mention of it.”
“Ooh, really?” Charlotte laughed out loud at the expression on his face. “Why does that upset you so much? It’s not even your tape.”
“Well, for one thing, she didn’t make it with my dad. It was with a woman.”
Charlotte let out a shriek and doubled over laughing as Jack watched her in shock. She was gasping for breath and holding her sides when she stood upright again. “That’s the most hilarious story I’ve ever heard. Go Mum!” she giggled to herself as they walked down the street. Jack dropped her hand and walked a few steps ahead, so she had to run to catch up. “Hey, don’t get all huffy. You’re taking this way too seriously.”
“It’s a sore topic, so just leave it, okay?”
“Okay, okay. Let’s drop it and go to the Moulin Rouge. I’ve heard it’s not a great place to walk around at night, so I’ll even let you call a taxi when we’re done.”
CHAPTER NINE
Contracted For Love: Famous Love Series Page 9